“Have you heard of RBD?”
“.. RBD?! You mean Rebelde?!”
“Yeah, have you heard of them?”
“OMG, I LOVE THEM!”
“Wanna go to their concert and possibly interview them with me?”
“eeeeeeeeeee!!!”
This was the conversation I had with my resident Mexican Culture specialist, Rosalva. Apparently, she likes them very much. And it seems that the rest of the world does too as they’re outselling stadium crowds around the globe and have multi-platinum albums. Still not ringing any bells? Well lets just say this, RBD (AKA: Rebelde) is to the music world what soccer (AKA: fútbol) is to the sporting world. They’re huge.
When we arrived at The Gibson Amphitheatre the line to get in already snaked its way past the Billabong store and was well on its way to Things From Another World. Age range was amazing, from 40-50 year olds to toddlers and ’tweens. Since I’ve missed out on the NKTOB phenom, this must have been what it was like.
For the uninitiated, RBD is comprised of 3 girls and 3 boys spawned from a very popular Mexican telenovela. They are a cross between N*Sync, Spice Girls and Beverly Hills 90210, all rolled into one. Their image is a branding powerhouse as their faces and names are emblazoned on everything from lunch pails to pillow cases which many of the fans brought with them to show their dedication the RBD nation.
Juan, 23 and a rabid RBD fan from Riverside, CA (yes folks, he came all the way from the 909 to see RBD) was in line pacing and brimming with excitement.